By: Min. Angela Lee Price
It is so fitting that as we remember the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that we hear from the current pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church. Rev. Raphael G. Warnock, 36, who now pastors the historic 2,200-member Ebenezer Baptist Church, the former church of Coretta Scott King, where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an associate minister, and his father a pastor, speaks out against mega church prosperity preacher Creflo Dollar in this six-minute Fox5 Atlanta news report on Dollar entitled Preaching Prosperity posted on YouTube.com on November 16, 2006. Warnock says that the prosperity gospel is "the gospel of the 'bling bling' in which the preachers and the rappers are saying virtually the same thing, 'get rich or die tryin'.'"
It is so fitting that as we remember the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that we hear from the current pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church. Rev. Raphael G. Warnock, 36, who now pastors the historic 2,200-member Ebenezer Baptist Church, the former church of Coretta Scott King, where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an associate minister, and his father a pastor, speaks out against mega church prosperity preacher Creflo Dollar in this six-minute Fox5 Atlanta news report on Dollar entitled Preaching Prosperity posted on YouTube.com on November 16, 2006. Warnock says that the prosperity gospel is "the gospel of the 'bling bling' in which the preachers and the rappers are saying virtually the same thing, 'get rich or die tryin'.'"
Creflo Dollar has, in addition to his $80 million dollar-a-year ministry, a private jet, several expensive cars including a Rolls-Royce, a $2 million dollar apartment in New York and this $3 million dollar estate in Georgia with an indoor swimming pool and tennis court.Rev. Al Sharpton chimes in on Dollar, too, in this report, "To try to distort Jesus to try to justify your new jet plane or your new Rolls-Royce to me is an abomination."
Click on the image of Rev. Raphael Warnock above to view Art Franklin's report Preaching Prosperity, then post your comments in the comment section below.
To read more on Rev. Raphael G. Warnock, the newly installed pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, click on this link to article, Ebenezer’s New Pastor Says He’ll Resurrect Activist Spirit of Church Under MLK:
http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/bawnews/warnock629
Remember, it is not Mohammad, Buddha, Confucius, nor New Age that saves. Jesus saves!
it's ashamed people that adopt the Christian identity and think that the GOD they call father, that created gold,platinum,silver,vacation spots,the world and all thats in it,want them to beg for or have to believe him for a light bill, meal or any common necessities,really have the wrong impression of him (GOD)he give us power to get wealth(knowledge,ideas,witty inventions,insight,his word,the holy spirit,etc etc...)he gave all the opportunity to have ever lasting life,by giving us JESUS.how dare we put him in a box by our limited discernment, situations,fears,and think he want us broke in debt,bad credit or borrowing all the time.the problem is most Christians don't act on those man scriptures that prove it,the enemy have a strong hold in that area when we don't apply the word as it relate to $ and thus control our financial situation.MONEY NOT THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL,THE LOVE OF MONEY IS.come on people what's the struggle? we believe in heeling but not wealth?my people perish (in any situation)for a lack of knowledge!
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ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to post your comment. Who wants to be poor? I certaintly don't. However, many prosperity preachers are one-sided in their approach to the gospel, and in my opinion, this is wrong. Others go so far as to distort the gospel. This too is wrong. While we know it takes money to run a church, business, ministry, even a home, true wealth is not predicated on material possessions. There are many people who have possessions and spiritually they are in foreclosure. There are so many others who are rich in love, joy, peace, and the spiritual gifts of God. Yet, they lack nice material possessions. Yes, Abraham was rich, and so was Solomon, and Job. However, Jesus said about himself in the New Testament, "the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He told His disciples that they would have to take up their Cross to follow him. He told them they would certainly drink of the cup of His suffering. This means we Christians will drink as well. And as leaders, we must prepare His people for that. Too much of this prosperity preaching is void of the Cross and suffering of Jesus Christ.
The Bible says Jesus comes so that you may have life and have it more abundantly. However, you need to ask yourself, WHAT is the true meaning of having life? Some people are what we would consider rich but poor in spirit. Some people are poor but rich in spirit. What I do not like to see with some ministers is pimping the people of God. In all waks of life, there are going to be hustlers. Some people see the Word of God as a game they can pimp and they pimp it to finance big houses, big cars and big expenses. Like anything else, you have to use discernment when you are met by those people. The reality of the situation is, many preachers have used the Word as a get rich quick scheme. God is NOT a slot machine. You cannot call up a million dollar blessing or ALL CHRSITIANS WOULD BE RICH. If it was THAT easy I would have ALREADY called down a ten million dollar blessing. But God does not work that way. God supplies your NEEDS not your GREEDS and God reserves the RIGHT to bless you with more than you can ever imagine. I have had to catch myself MORE THAN ONCE when I have pulled out that old, "okay God I am tithing" line, like I am doing God a favor. God does not need my tithe. God does come so that we may be RICH but he does not come so that we may be RICH by society's standards. Rich for me could be HEALTHY, BASIC BILLS PAID, A CAR TO GET ME AROUND, MY KIDS NOT IN JAIL, etc. I know MANY people would trade in all the money in the world if they did not have to recieve Chemotherapy or watch their kids die from a crack overdose, or watch their husband slowly die on death row. We as a people need to reprioritize what being RICH means. I will tell you what, in my life, if I could change a FEW FUNDAMENTAL THINGS, I would be happy just down right satisfied if I never had another dollar. Trust that! ~Hannah Drake
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